Registered: Aug 2003
Location: Indiana
Posts: 6168

Let's face it.... our society is changing, the very fabric that used to hold us together is becoming worn and tattered.

I remember well the Elks, Moose, Knights of Columbus, Literary Aid society, Free Masons, and yes even the lowly bowling league were the pillars of small communities. Charity and fundraising were at the center of these organizations, and they were centers of entertainment, fundraising, and fellowship.

Our beloved coon hunting and conservation clubs were just another choice for club membership, and folks took pride in belonging to a "like minded" organization. Club events were a source of pride, fellowship, and there was a loyalty to your "home" club, and you supported outlying clubs.

Today, each and every fraternal organization in the US is shrinking. Elks lodges all over the country are now either abandoned or the once stately buildings are in disrepair, and the parking lots are empty....and our coon hunting and conservation clubs are dying as well.

I remember the "hayday" of the past for coon clubs. Membership rosters of 40 to 60 folks were not uncommon. Meeting nights were family affairs, with carry in dinners, business meetings, and we went hunting after the meeting. We laughed, talked dogs, swapped stories.

At some point, I'm not sure when, but membership in a "club" or organization lost any importance to us as coon hunters. Clubs are nothing more than a shell of their former self. The hard work and dedication of past member built and paid for the grounds and the buildings, and in some cases built a war chest for future expenses. Today...it's tough to find someone to mow the grass that the founding members sweated to purchase and plant.

Yet ever weekend there is at least one, and most weekends there are two clubs that are hosting a UKC sanctioned event. A couple of years ago, attendance of 30 folks, entering dogs in bench shows and night hunting events was the norm. At that event was the core of the membership of that club. Everything from entries, cooks, kitchen help, guides, judges, and someone to clean up after the hunters who leave Styrofoam cups half full of coffee on the table after they leave.....it takes a club to hold an event.

Remember that last phrase...it takes a club to hold an event. In my area, club membership, and member participation are way down. I can think of two and quite easily three different clubs that are on the brink of folding. And when they go, the events that they hold will go with them.... The downward spiral is starting. In 10 years, will there be any clubs left?

I for one think it is time for UKC to start thinking of some action that they can take to support the UKC charter clubs. I personally believe that every person that enters a UKC event should have to show membership to a UKC chartered club.

If you are not a member of a local club...you need to be if you ever plan on attending an event....cause it takes a club to hold an event. And we don't want to go the way of some other registries and have all of our clubs under the street lamp of the local little league diamond......

Find your local club today, join, become involved.......

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Joe Newlin
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Home of Oak Ridge Kennels

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Registered: Jul 2003
Location: Palmyra, Missouri
Posts: 9987

Very good post

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Registered: Aug 2003
Location: Roseboro, N.C.
Posts: 3334

I feel that UKC should require a person to be a member of a coon club in good standing to enter a hunt. It isn't fair for 2 or 3 people at each club to do all the work to put on a hunt for somebody else to have all the fun.

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Registered: May 2009
Location: Southeastern NC
Posts: 73

I agree with you Jeff. If they care enough about our sport and UKC this request will not be a problem.

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Registered: Oct 2013
Location:
Posts: 96

I agree with you'll and if they live with in the same county as the club they should have to guide also that would keep locals from having to ride an hour just to hunt.

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Registered: Sep 2010
Location: New Paris, Indiana
Posts: 7076

All you will get by requiring membership is an extra $10 a year and then you will never see them again until an event and then they they won't work because they are hunting.

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Registered: May 2005
Location: Bellevue, IA
Posts: 1869

To many hunts and to many registries. Also some clubs have members that will only hunt a certain registry but not another registry when this happens clubs get divided so to speak. Example is a club may have 16 good members but only half show up because they don't like hunting that particular registry.

Gas prices are not helping either!

Maybe UKC needs to come up with a program with more emphasis on the local level. Just throwing ideas out there.

Todd

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Registered: Jun 2003
Location: SW Michigan-again
Posts: 2311

It is the same everywhere- 2-5 club members do the work and the rest sit and enjoy the "cream" that rises to the top.
Most clubs constitution or By-Laws state "Active Member in good standing" that is what a member is supposed to be "Active".
This part is not enforced by clubs including the club I am a officer in.
What should be done? Be active and help when you can.

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Back to michigan again. Giving it anouther go

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Registered: Aug 2003
Location: Roseboro, N.C.
Posts: 3334

What I meant was a member in good standing is make it a requirement to have a membership card to a coon club to enter and if UKC made that a requirement any club that I have anything to do with, I would try to it passed that each member had to help with a certain number of hunts or their membership would be revoked for the next year.

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Registered: Mar 2012
Location: WV
Posts: 144

Clubs should take care of their members that do come and help at the hunts!! Many time I have spend all day at the club getting ready for a hunt and not even get a thank you out of it, and after a year and half of no thanks it gets old!! Take care of your members and the rest will come around

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Registered: Aug 2003
Location: Roseboro, N.C.
Posts: 3334

One of the clubs that I am a member of try to do just that, we thank everybody all their hard work at each hunt and about a month ago we had a steak supper to show them our appreciation.

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Registered: Sep 2003
Location: tekonsha mich
Posts: 2023

if anyone of you find a solution that works I am all ears. We had about 5 people that did everything 1 passed away 2 quit that really moves alot of burden on to the few remaining to hold the events and the sad part is those few doing it all are getting tired of always being at the club and not getting to hunt out of our club. Like I said if you find that magic bullet fire a round this way please.

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Registered: Jun 2003
Location: SW Michigan-again
Posts: 2311

quote:

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Originally posted by Chall123
Clubs should take care of their members that do come and help at the hunts!! Many time I have spend all day at the club getting ready for a hunt and not even get a thank you out of it, and after a year and half of no thanks it gets old!! Take care of your members and the rest will come around

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Back to michigan again. Giving it anouther go

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Registered: Aug 2003
Location: Indiana
Posts: 6168

Having been a member of clubs for most all of my adult life, I can tell you this.

There have always been "producing" members, and there have always been "consumer" members. The producers are the work horses. They are the ones that make sure that the door is unlocked, groceries purchased for the kitchen, the hamburgers are fried, and the french fries served. They set at the entry table, and they stay behind to make the breakfast for the few that return to the clubhouse after the hunt.

The consumer members come to the meetings, vote to hold more hunts (for which they will enter their dogs, but won't guide), they are the ones that leave empty pop cans or half empty coffee cups on the tables for someone else to pick up. They are also the first ones to complain about a clean up day, or work day at the club.

The other participants are what I refer to as club surfers. They don't belong to a club at all. They do indeed enter dogs, but have no allegiance. They never guide, don't want to judge because they are planning on withdrawing if their dog doesn't perform and they want the option of leaving the cast and going home. Sure, some are really nice guys, some are big time winners....I know of at least one feller that has won a World Championship....and hasn't been a club member for many years....and isn't planning on joining one.

My point here is that it truly isn't up to UKC to ensure that our clubs are a success...it is a club responsibility.

But if you are reading this and you are not a club member,....when that club down the road from you that is struggling to survive goes under, and the hunts that you like to attend are no longer available...it will be YOUR fault, not the fault of the three or four people who have been carrying the entire weight of the workload that comes with those events, and maintaining a club....

IT TAKES A CLUB TO HOLD AN EVENT. Have you done your part?

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Joe Newlin
UKC Cur Advocate
Home of Oak Ridge Kennels

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Registered: Jan 2013
Location: Marietta
Posts: 10790

I am a life time member of our club I can remember when our hunts were fund raisers to get funds to run the club and be able to give good prizes at our club hunts Bach then you had non hunting ntch and Grntch judges we would trade out doing moh or bench show or kitchen if any of this was needed you didn't get to hunt it was about taking care of the visitors

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Registered: Jan 2012
Location: Goshen,Ohio
Posts: 2679

Joe I thought a membership would me something to me but it don't.I paid my $35 bucks and am usually too busy to make it to a club meeting.Have no ideal when the work days are.Theres a total of 4 coonhunters and prolly a mix of 50 turkey shooting and card playing guys.Shame us coonhunters don't join together and do more.I think gonna join a more Hunter based club next year.Between working 6 days a week,family and church I just don't have time for much else.

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Registered: Aug 2003
Location: Indiana
Posts: 6168

quote:

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Originally posted by Jackson87
Joe I thought a membership would me something to me but it don't.I paid my $35 bucks and am usually too busy to make it to a club meeting.Have no ideal when the work days are.Theres a total of 4 coonhunters and prolly a mix of 50 turkey shooting and card playing guys.Shame us coonhunters don't join together and do more.I think gonna join a more Hunter based club next year.Between working 6 days a week,family and church I just don't have time for much else.

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Joe Newlin
UKC Cur Advocate
Home of Oak Ridge Kennels

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Registered: Dec 2011
Location:
Posts: 11

Next thing you know they'll be wanting you to register and show I.D. to vote.Also what a lot of you don't understand is that a lot of hunters have a few turnout's, but they can't take a caravan of hunters in there,or they will lose that spot themselves.Not to mention all of them good old boy's that go back to their new found honey hole and kill them some coons.Maybe we should look into having some HONOR rules.

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Registered: Aug 2003
Location: Roseboro, N.C.
Posts: 3334

OldSouth, I understand what you are saying but there are other ways that you can help, there is grass to be cut, there is workdays at the club, there is food to be bought and prepared. It gets discouraging when you have been at the club since early in the morning, working like a trojan and people show up 5 minutes before deadline, enter their dog, and then come back after the hunt, pick up their win receipt and leave and you are left to clean up to where you can do it again for them the next time. Being a good member requires a lot of work and very little beneifits, you do it for the love of the sport. I am a member of 5 coon clubs and am active in all of them and the reason is I love the sport and want to do everything I can to keep these clubs operating. When people don't have any local clubs and have to drive several hours just to go to a hunt, maybe they will realize what they have lost and what they could have done to helped out.

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Registered: Aug 2003
Location: Indiana
Posts: 6168

quote:

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Originally posted by K Slim
This is why I don't belong to my local club anymore , I always guided a cast , then guys start coming back and hunting my spots ! And when I say something to them , they just don't get it ! HONOR? YEAH RIGHT !! And there's no one who likes to coon hunt more then me , why should I go help at the club when the same guys that put it to me are there ? I am not the type that that can stand to be around people like that ! When I am ,I know what will happen , I'll get in trouble !!

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Joe Newlin
UKC Cur Advocate
Home of Oak Ridge Kennels

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Registered: Jan 2009
Location:
Posts: 1175

1.) Why do some guys only hunt their local club & complain that more people don't show up. Yet that man never hunts at their club.

2.) Folks don't buy from the kitchen. Hey I know it isnt the best food sometimes but thats where the club can make some money.

3.) take food for the kitchen. coonhunters like to eat. There was a guy that used to bring 2 pies to every hunt. I asked once if his wife minded cooking pies. He said that krogers never got tired of making them. He knew they would sell and help the club make a little money.

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Registered: Aug 2003
Location: Indiana
Posts: 6168

quote:

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Originally posted by oldsouth43
Next thing you know they'll be wanting you to register and show I.D. to vote.Also what a lot of you don't understand is that a lot of hunters have a few turnout's, but they can't take a caravan of hunters in there,or they will lose that spot themselves.Not to mention all of them good old boy's that go back to their new found honey hole and kill them some coons.Maybe we should look into having some HONOR rules.

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Joe Newlin
UKC Cur Advocate
Home of Oak Ridge Kennels

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Registered: Mar 2005
Location: north dakota
Posts: 2363

for those of you winning about not gettng a pat on the back or a thank you for your efforts need to get over your self... you don't need someone blowing smoke up your butt. it's your club... If you want it to keep going.. you and everybody else need to make it work.. if your the only one that does anything then good for you.. you are keeping it going.. bottom line you and the other members are who you are working for... you are the beneficiary... so quite your sniveling and get to work... if your doing it to get a pat on the back... your doing it for the wrong reason... believe it or not your work doesn't go UN noticed.. it is appreciated ... Sure it gets frustrating if alot of the other members are lax on helping out.. but you need them to.. entries are also an ingredient for success... so put a smile on your face make everyone feal welcome and fed.. and they will keep coming.. guaranteed...jmo

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JAMES RIVER HOUND KENNEL
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Home of the late Ntch Lipper's Lip Lock Lizzy, Ntch Moonshiners Sassy, and 88 Walker Days Winner Grntch Ceder Hill Sass

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Registered: Apr 2008
Location: Reelsville , Indiana
Posts: 1124

I believe fewer and fewer people are interested in passing on to the next generation. All you can do is your part, and hope that you're convincing enough to have others band together with you to keep the clubs going.

Keeping the clubs around for our kids and grandkids to be able to do this should be thanks enough to go put some work in.

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Justin Haddon

Proud member of the Deer Creek Cartel

Founding Member of the BSKC. Making coon hunting great again.

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Registered: Mar 2005
Location: north dakota
Posts: 2363

quote:

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Originally posted by JustinH23
I believe fewer and fewer people are interested in passing on to the next generation. All you can do is your part, and hope that you're convincing enough to have others band together with you to keep the clubs going.

Keeping the clubs around for our kids and grandkids to be able to do this should be thanks enough to go put some work in.

---

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JAMES RIVER HOUND KENNEL
JAY BRADEMEYER 701 308 0490
Home of the late Ntch Lipper's Lip Lock Lizzy, Ntch Moonshiners Sassy, and 88 Walker Days Winner Grntch Ceder Hill Sass

"Building on a solid foundation starts on the bottom side"

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